Burnout: A state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by prolonged or excessive stress.
That’s the clinical definition of burnout.
But me?
I describe burnout as:
Monday thru Friday.
I know you’ve been there — waking up, trying to plan out your day before your first joint cracks as you stumble out of bed.
By the time I feel around on my nightstand for my glasses, I’ve already forgotten the first two things on my list.
Burnout shows up differently for everyone.
Some people recognize the signs early and find ways to deal.
Then there’s us.
The ones who don’t just miss the warning signs — we barely acknowledge them at all.
Let me tell you a story…
When my daughter was in 6th grade, life was non-stop.
Work, family, sports, cheer, grocery runs — you name it.
One night, after a full day of meetings and errands, I flopped on the couch and thought,
“Wait… I’m forgetting something.”
Yup.
I forgot something, alright.
I forgot my kid at the sitter’s house. 😩
How does burnout actually show up?
According to an article published in 2022 by Be Pure, the 3 defining characteristics of burnout are:
- Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
- Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and
- A sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment.
Sound Familiar?
For women especially, burnout isn’t just about work.
It’s also about emotional labor.
Caretaking.
Managing a relationship.
Managing yourself.
All while pretending like everything’s fine.
We’re out here with that dazed, slightly feral look in our eyes,
wondering if we vacuumed today or just dreamed about it.
Let’s get one thing clear:
Burnout ≠ laziness. Burnout ≠ a bad attitude.When you walk into the kitchen for the second time and can’t remember why…
that’s not laziness.
That’s a brain that’s been multitasking since 6am.
So if you ask me about mop pad refills and I get snappy?
That’s not me being rude.
That’s me operating on half a brain cell and trying to remember if we even own a power mop.
Work-from-home burnout hits different
I’m grateful to work from home — I wear loungewear, my commute is 15 feet, and no one steals my coffee creamer (except my husband, but that’s another post).
But the hardest part?
Turning it off.
Back in the day, my commute gave me space.
A buffer between work and “second shift” —
that magical hour where I could think, breathe, and mentally reset.
Now?
I clock out, spin my chair around, and boom — it’s time to make dinner (or not), clean something (or not), and have family conversations when I have zero words left.
This has been my reality for years.
I minimized it.
I powered through.
I pushed even when I was running on empty.
But now?
Now I’m learning to be mindful of the signs.
Of what stress does to my mind and body.
Of the triggers I used to ignore.
And when I need a timeout —
I take it. Without guilt.
Highly recommend you do the same.